FREMONT - Motorists have been running stop signs that were recently placed at more than a dozen railroad crossings in the city following an Ohio Department of Transportation mandate passed four years ago.

Without giving the city any notice, the yield signs at several railroad crossing locations in the city were replaced with stop signs near the end of July, according to Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez.

A number of motorists have been driving through the new stop signs without coming to a halt, according to the mayor.

"I found out when I was at Croghan Street and almost T-boned a vehicle coming out of Croghan Carryout," Sanchez said. "I think a two- or three-day notice would have been appreciated so we could alert the public."

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A yield sign at a railroad crossing on Napoleon Street in Fremont will be replaced with a stop sign.(Photo: Molly Corfman/The News-Messenger)

Sanchez said he and other city officials were traveling along Fulton Street when they noticed the stop sign for the first time, and they witnessed a vehicle running the stop sign at the rail crossing, nearly causing a crash.

Sanchez said that although the city has received complaints from the public about the new stop signs, legislation requiring them was passed in 2013.

"We need to be reminded that legislation takes place and that is part of our democracy," Sanchez said. "We have filed exemptions on some roads to get the signs replaced with yield signs."

While not all crossings will be exempt from a stop sign, Sanchez said he hopes many of the streets in the city will return to yield signs to avoid confusion in the future.

"Hopefully we will hear back in the next month about the exemption," Sanchez said. "We weren't aware of this legislation, but we filed exemptions immediately."

Until the city hears back from ODOT on the exemption requests, Sanchez advised every motorist to obey all traffic signs.

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Yield signs were recently replaced by stop signs at more than a dozen railroad crossings in Fremont.(Photo: Molly Corfman/The News-Messenger)